Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES OVER AN ONLINE SHARING SESSION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 63/010,657
filed on April 15, 2020, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
FIELD OF DISCLOSURE
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to a document
management system, and
more specifically to e-signing of documents during online sharing sessions.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0003] Document signing tools allow e-signing (e.g., electronic
signing) of electronic
documents using an electronic signature. E-signing is an alternative to
handwritten signatures
(wet signatures) in any process that requires a signature to approve a
document. However,
conventional document signing tools require that the electronic document being
e-signed be
finalized before being e-signed. Thus, if during a document signing session it
is determined that
the electronic document needs revision before being e-signed, the entity that
generated the
electronic document must revise the electronic document and re-upload the
revised electronic
document for e-signing. Thus, conventional document signing tools are
cumbersome.
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SUMMARY
[0004] A document management system is configured to manage one or
more documents
that include content. A set of documents stored in the document management
system may be
shared with one or more participants during an online sharing session. During
the online
sharing session, the documents themselves are shared with the participants of
the online sharing
session rather than merely an image of a display screen of one of the
participants. In one
embodiment, the documents in the set must be electronically signed during the
online sharing
session. The documents are electronically signed by one or more participants
of the online
sharing session.
[0005] In one embodiment, the set of documents shared during the
online sharing session
are associated with another document executed by the one or more participants.
The documents
included in the set of documents are determined based on the other document.
The set of
documents may also exclude any documents that require a handwritten signature
by the one or
more participants of the online sharing session.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a high-level block diagram illustrating an
embodiment of an environment
for sharing documents for e-signing according to one embodiment.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram illustrating a detailed
view of a document
management system, according to one embodiment.
[0008] FIG. 3 is an example document according to one embodiment.
[0009] FIGs. 4A and 4B illustrate example filters for filtering
portions of the document for
sharing according to one embodiment.
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[0010] FIGs. 5A to 5C are examples of an online sharing session
including a shared
version of the document, according to one embodiment.
[0011] FIGs. 6A to 6B illustrate a document set including documents
for e-signing,
according to one embodiment.
[0012] FIGs. 7A to 7E illustrate the online sharing session for e-
signing documents in the
document set, according to one embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 8 is an interaction diagram illustrating a process of e-
signing a document during
an online sharing session according to one embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 9 is an interaction diagram illustrating a process of e-
signing a document during
an online sharing session according to another embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 10 is a high-level block diagram illustrating another
embodiment of an
environment for sharing documents for e-signing according to one embodiment
[0016] FIG. 11 is system diagram of a computer system, according to
one embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] The Figures (FIGS.) and the following description describe
certain embodiments by
way of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from
the following
description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods
illustrated herein may be
employed without departing from the principles described herein. Reference
will now be made
in detail to several embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the
accompanying figures.
It is noted that wherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be
used in the figures
and may indicate similar or like functionality.
Document Management System Environment
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[0018] FIG. 1 is a high-level block diagram illustrating an
embodiment of an environment
100 of a document management system 103 for e-signing (electronically signing
or executing)
documents of an enterprise 101. An example of an enterprise 101 included in
the environment is
an automobile dealership. However, the enterprise 101 can be any type of
entity that requires
document signing during online sharing sessions with one or more participants.
The documents
managed by the document management system 103 may include any type of data
related to the
enterprise 101 such as a deal sheet.
[0019] In one embodiment, the environment 100 includes the
enterprise 101, a plurality of
enterprise devices 107A to 107B, a plurality of client devices 109A to 109B,
and a third-party
document source 111 connected to each other via a network 105. As shown in
FIG. 1, the
enterprise 101 includes a document management system 103. Note that in another
embodiment
such as shown in FIG. 10, the document management system 103 may be separate
from the
enterprise 101 as will be further described below with respect to FIG. 10. Any
number of
document management systems, enterprises, enterprise devices, third-party
document sources
and client devices may be present in other embodiments.
[0020] The network 105 provides a communication infrastructure
between the entities
included in environment 100. The network 105 is typically the Internet, but
may be any
network, including but not limited to a Local Area Network (LAN), a
Metropolitan Area
Network (MAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a mobile wired or wireless network,
a private
network, or a virtual private network.
[0021] Enterprise devices 107 and client devices 109 may include any
type of device having
an application that communicates with the document management system 103 of
the enterprise
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101. For example, an enterprise device 107 and/or a client device 109 may be a
mobile device or
personal computer or any other type of device.
[0022] Generally, enterprise devices 107 represent devices of the
enterprise 101.
Representatives of the enterprise 101 use enterprise devices 107 to access
documents stored by
the document management system 103. Accessing documents may include generating
new
documents and sharing the newly generated documents with other representatives
of the
enterprise 101 and/or with customers of the enterprise 101. Accessing
documents may further
include viewing existing entries in a document, adding new entries to the
documents, modifying
existing entries in the documents, and/or delete existing entries in the
document.
[0023] In contrast, a client device 109 represents devices of non-
representatives of the
enterprise 101. An example of a non-representative of the enterprise 101 is a
client of the
enterprise 101. Although the embodiments herein describe sharing of documents
between
representatives of the enterprise 101 and non-representatives of the
enterprise 101 for e-signing,
the embodiments may be applied to any types of entities that require document
execution.
[0024] In one embodiment, the enterprise device 107 and client
device 109 may each include
an application that allows interaction with the document management system 103
to share and
execute documents stored by the document management system 103. The
application may be a
dedicated application specifically designed by the organization associated
with the document
management system 103. The application allows for interaction with the
document management
system 103.
[0025] In one embodiment, the third-party document source 111 stores
documents created by
the third-party document source 111. The documents created by the third-party
document source
111 are retrieved by the enterprise 101 for execution by users of client
devices 109 and/or
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enterprise devices 107. In one embodiment, the third-party document source 111
is managed by
a different entity than the enterprise 101. The environment 100 may include
multiple third-party
document sources rather than one third-party document source 111. An example
third-party
document source is the DMV. The DMV may provide forms required to register an
article
acquired from the enterprise 111, lien documents, and/or title documents.
Another example of a
document created by the third-party document source 111 is a LAW 553 document.
However,
any document generation entity may be a third-party document source 111.
[0026] The document management system 103 is configured to manage
one or more
documents that store data of the enterprise 101. Enterprise representatives
use enterprise devices
107 to generate documents using stored data and share the documents with
client devices 109 of
non-representatives during online sharing sessions created by the document
management system
103. As will be further described below, shared documents may be e-signed by
one or more
users during an online sharing session.
Document Management System
[0027]
FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram illustrating a detailed view of the
document
management system 103 of FIG. 1. In one embodiment, the document management
system 103
includes a document database 201, a policy database 203, a reception module
205, a conversion
module 207, a sharing module 209, a signature module 211, a document module
213, a
suggestion module 215, and a tracking module 217. Note that in other
embodiments, the
document management system 103 may include other modules and/or databases than
those
illustrated in FIG. 2.
[0028] The document database 201 is configured to store one or more
documents. In one
embodiment, documents are classified as either primary documents or secondary
documents. In
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one embodiment, primary documents may be documents created by the enterprise
101 from
document templates of the enterprise 101. For example, the primary document
may be a
summary sheet of an automotive acquisition that is generated from a document
template. In
contrast, secondary documents are documents (e.g., forms) that are associated
with one or more
primary documents. Secondary documents may be documents (e.g., forms)
generated by the
enterprise 101. Secondary documents may also be third-party documents (e.g.,
forms) received
from the third-party document source 111.
[0029] In one embodiment, a document (primary or secondary)
includes content such as a
plurality of fields and a corresponding value for each field that collectively
form the document.
The fields of data and their corresponding values may be arranged in a series
of rows and
columns. However, other organization formats can be used for documents. FIG. 3
is an example
primary document 300 stored in the document database 201 according to one
embodiment. As
shown in FIG. 3, the primary document includes a plurality of fields of data
301 and their
corresponding values 303 arranged in a series of rows and columns. In other
embodiments,
documents lack information fields and values for the fields, but rather
include alphanumeric text.
[0030] In one embodiment, the document database 201 may also store
one or more
document templates used to generate new primary documents. Each document
template may be
associated with a particular type of primary document and includes required
fields of data for the
document template. The values for the fields of data included in each document
template are
blank.
[0031] In one embodiment, one or more document templates stored in
the document
database 201 are associated with a set of secondary documents (e.g., forms)
that require e-
signing. The policy database 203 may store policies for stored documents. The
policies may
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include an inclusion policy and an exclusion policy for one or more of the
document templates
stored in the document database 201. In one embodiment, the inclusion policy
for a document
template describes a set of secondary documents to include in online sharing
sessions for e-
signing along with the primary document created from the document template. In
one
embodiment, some secondary documents stored in the document database 201
require a wet
signature (handwritten signature) rather than an electronic signature, so
those secondary
documents are excluded from being shared during online sharing sessions. Thus,
the policies
may also include an exclusion policy for the document template that describes
secondary
documents to exclude from online sharing sessions for e-signing.
[0032] The secondary documents that may be e-signed and the
secondary documents
requiring hand signature may vary by geographic location. For example, each
state may require
particular secondary documents to be hand signed while allowing other
secondary documents to
be electronically signed. Accordingly, the policy database 203 may include
state specific
exclusion policies where each state specific exclusion policy includes a list
of state specific
secondary documents for exclusion from sharing during online sharing sessions.
In contrast,
state specific inclusion policies each include a list of state specific
secondary documents for
inclusion during online sharing sessions for e-signing during online sharing
sessions.
[0033] In one embodiment, the exclusion policies and inclusion
policies may be based on
attributes of secondary documents. Generally, the stored secondary documents
may each be
associated with a printer attribute that defines the type(s) of printer
required to print the
secondary document. The type of printer used to print a secondary document is
a heuristic that
indicates whether to include or exclude the secondary document from sharing
during an online
sharing session for e-signing. For example, a secondary document that requires
a dot matrix
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printer (e.g., a type of printer) to print the secondary document should be
excluded for sharing
during an online sharing session as secondary documents printed by a dot
matrix printer typically
require a handwritten signature. Thus, an exclusion policy may list one or
more types of printers
where secondary documents that are printed by the type of printers defined in
the exclusion
policy are excluded from being shared during the online sharing session.
Conversely, an
inclusion policy may list one or more types of printers where secondary
documents that are
printed by the type of printers in the inclusion policy are allowed to be
shared during the online
sharing session for e-signing.
[0034] In one embodiment, the inclusion policies and exclusion
policies described above
are automatically created by the document management system 103. However, in
other
embodiments the inclusion policies and exclusion polices are manually curated.
The document
management system 103 receives an exclusion policy from a representative of
the enterprise 101
that defines a list of secondary documents to exclude from online sharing
sessions as the
documents in the list require handwritten signatures. Similarly, the document
management
system 103 receives an inclusion policy from a representative of the
enterprise that defines a list
of secondary documents that are allowed to be shared during an online sharing
session for e-
signing. The factors described above individually or in combination may be
used to generate
inclusion policies and exclusion policies.
[0035] In one embodiment, the reception module 205 receives
requests to generate new
primary documents. A request to generate a new primary document may specify
the type of
primary document to be generated. In one embodiment, the reception module 205
receives a
request to generate a new primary document from an enterprise device 107.
However, in other
embodiment the requests may be received from either the enterprise device or
client device 109.
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[0036] In response to receiving the request, the reception module
205 retrieves a document
template associated with the type of document specified in the request from
the document
database 201 and transmits the retrieved document template to the device of
the user that
transmitted the request. The reception module 205 determines values for the
fields of data
included in the document template. In one embodiment, the reception module 205
receives
values for one or more fields of data of the document template from the device
of the user that
requested to generate the document (e.g., a representative of the enterprise
101) and inserts the
values into the document template.
[0037] In one embodiment, the reception module 205 automatically
inserts values into the
document template. One or more fields of data may indicate a location in
another document
stored in the document management system from which to retrieve the values for
the document
template. The reception module 205 automatically retrieves the values from
another
document(s) as indicated in the one or more fields of the document template.
The retrieved
values are automatically added to the appropriate fields in the document
template by the
reception module 205.
[0038] Once the fields of data included in the document template
are completed, the
reception module 205 receives a request to store the document as a new primary
document in the
document database 201 from the device of the user (e.g., the representative).
In one
embodiment, the reception module 205 stores the primary document in the
document database
201 using an editing format (e.g., a file format). In one embodiment, the
editing format may not
be conducive for sharing with others, but is beneficial for editing purposes.
For example, the
editing format may be a spreadsheet format for example.
[0039] In one embodiment, documents stored in the document database
201 may be shared
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between devices of multiple users in an online sharing session. By sharing the
document during
the online sharing session, the amount of time that the participants of the
online sharing session
need to physically interact in-person with each other is reduced, if not
eliminated completely. In
one embodiment, the reception module 205 may receive a request from a device
of a user to
share a primary document generated from a document template. The request may
be received in
response to a selection of a user interface element included in primary
document for sharing the
document. For example, FIG. 3 includes a sharing user interface element 305
that indicates to
the document management system 103 a request to share the primary document 300
responsive
to user selection of the sharing user interface element 103.
[0040] As mentioned above, the format of documents stored in the
document database 201
is not ideal for sharing during an online sharing session. Responsive to the
request to share a
primary document, the conversion module 207 converts the primary document into
a format for
sharing during an online session. To perform the conversion, the conversion
module 207
receives from the user that transmitted the request sharing criteria which is
indicative of portions
of the primary document to share during the online sharing session and
portions of the primary
document to exclude from sharing during the online sharing session. That is,
the user may
decide to share the primary document in its entirety or share a subset of the
primary document
during the online session. For example, the user may filter the fields of
information of the
primary document that are shown to another user during the online session, so
that the other user
is only provided with the most relevant information of the primary document
during the online
sharing session.
[0041] In one embodiment, the conversion module 207 transmits a
filtering tool 400 to the
device of the user that requested to share the primary document, as shown in
FIG. 4A. The
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filtering tool 400 includes a list of filtering criteria 401. The filtering
criteria specifies portions
of the content included in the primary document to include in the shared
primary document as
well as portions of the content included in the primary document to exclude
from the shared
primary document. For example, in FIG. 4A the filtering criteria 401 includes
a list of names of
fields of information included in the document that may be either included or
removed (e.g.,
filtered) from the primary document for sharing during the online session.
[0042] In one embodiment, the primary document may be filtered
based on groups of fields
of information or individual fields of information. Groups of fields of
information include
multiple fields of information in the primary document whereas an individual
field of
information includes only a single field of information in the primary
document. One example
of a group of fields of information is the "Required Data" group 405 and one
example of an
individual field of information is the "Supplemental Data Field 1" 407 as
shown in the filter 401.
Referring back to FIG. 3, the "Required Data" group includes a plurality of
fields of information
in the group whereas the "Supplemental Data Field 1" is a single information
field included
under the group "Supplemental Data 1.-
[0043] Referring back to FIG. 4A, each group of fields of
information and individual field
of information includes a mechanism 407 for filtering the respective group or
individual field of
information. The mechanism 407 is used to indicate whether to enable (e.g.,
show)) or disable
(e.g., hide) the group or individual field of information that is associated
with the mechanism in
the primary document during the online sharing session. Thus, the user may
decide which
information to include in the primary document during the online sharing
session.
[0044] In one embodiment, the conversion module 207 renders a
preview 403 of the
primary document for sharing during the online sharing session. The preview is
transmitted to
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the device of the user and visually indicates the appearance and the content
of the primary
document that will be shared during the online sharing session. By providing
the user with the
preview, the user may decide to edit the fields of information that are
included in the primary
document prior to sharing the primary document by enabling or displaying
content to include in
the shared document.
[0045] In one embodiment, the rendered preview includes the
selected content of the
primary document using the filtering tool 400 and allows the user to verify
the content of the
primary document to be shared during the online session. In one embodiment,
the conversion
module 207 generates the preview of the primary document in a preview format
(e.g., file
format) that is different from the editing format of the primary document. The
preview format is
a format that can be used to quickly render the primary document based on the
selected filtering
criteria. For example, the preview format may be a markup language format such
as HTML.
However, other preview formats may be used for generating the preview of the
primary
document.
[0046] In FIG. 4A, the preview 403 of the primary document includes
the group of fields
of information "Required Data" as well as the individual field of information
"Supplemental
Data Field 1" as a result of the enabled fields included in the filtering
criteria 401. In contrast, in
FIG. 4B, the preview 403 of the primary document is updated to include only
the group of fields
of information "Required Data" as the user may decide not to include the
individual field of
information "Supplemental Data Field 1".
[0047] The conversion module 207 may receive a request from the
device of the user to
share the primary document shown in the preview with another user during an
online sharing
session upon approval of the primary document. The request may be received
from the
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conversion module 207 responsive to the user selecting the "share" user
interface element 409 as
shown in FIGs. 4A and 4B, for example.
[0048] In one embodiment, the request may include a plurality of
request attributes. The
request attributes include one or more identifiers of one or participants
requested to participate in
the online sharing session of the primary document. An identifier of a
participant may include
an email address of the participant, for example. The request attributes may
also include a date
and time for the online sharing session.
[0049] The conversion module 207 generates the primary document for
sharing based on
the preview. The version of the primary document for sharing may be stored in
the document
database 201 for use during the online sharing session. In one embodiment, the
conversion
module 207 may generate the primary document for sharing responsive to the
sharing request.
Alternatively, the conversion module 207 may wait to generate the primary
document for sharing
until the date and time of the online sharing session.
[0050] To generate the primary document for sharing, the conversion
module 207 may
convert the preview of the primary document that is in the preview format
(e.g., HTML) into a
sharing format. In one embodiment, the sharing format is a file format that is
used to display
documents in electronic form independent of the software, hardware, or
operating system that is
used to display the document. For example, the conversion module 207 may
convert the preview
of the primary document into a portable document format (PDF). However, other
sharing
formats may be used.
[0051] In one embodiment, the sharing module 209 shares a primary
document that is in
the sharing format with multiple participants during a scheduled online
sharing session. The
sharing module 209 may transmit an invitation for the online sharing session
to devices of the
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participants identified in the request attributes. Only participants who have
the link will be
authorized access to the online sharing session. The invitation may optionally
include
authentication information (e.g., a password) required to access the online
sharing session. The
participants of the online sharing session may include one or more
representatives of the
enterprise 101 and/or one or more non-representatives, for example. At the
date and time of the
online sharing session, the participants select the link using their devices
which directs a web
browser on the devices of the participants to the online sharing session.
[0052] During the online sharing session, the sharing module 209
shares the primary
document stored in the sharing format. That is, the actual document is shared
during the online
session rather than merely an image of the content displayed on a display
screen of one of the
participant's device. FIG. 5A illustrates one example of an online sharing
session 500. As
shown in FIG. 5A, the online sharing session 500 includes the shared primary
document 400 that
is in the sharing format shown in FIG. 4B as well as participant information
501 and 503. The
participant information may include attributes of each participant such as
their name, phone
number, address, etc. However, any other type of information may be included
in the participant
information.
[0053] During the online sharing session, the participants may
review the primary
document in a collaborative environment. If one of the participants requests
to view more
information in the primary document as a result of the discussion, the
conversion module 207
may receive edited filtering criteria from the device of a participant (e.g.,
a representative) to
generate an edited version of the primary document that includes additional
information, and
share the edited primary document during the online sharing session. If the
existing content
(e.g., values of the fields of information) of the shared document requires
editing (e.g., addition,
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deletion, or modification), the reception module 205 may receive edits to
values of the document
stored in the editing format from the device of the participant (e.g., a
representative). The
conversion module 207 converts the edited document into the sharing format and
the sharing
module 209 may re-share the edited primary document during the online sharing
session
according to the process previously described above.
[0054] In one embodiment, the primary document may require an
electronic signature from
one or more of the participants of the online sharing session. In the
automobile acquisition
example, the acquiring user electronically signs the primary document. Another
participant (e.g.,
a co-acquirer and/or representative) may also electronically sign the primary
document. The
electronic signature is a legal way to obtain consent or approval of the
primary document from
one or more participants of the online sharing session. The signature module
211 may receive a
request from a device of a participant of the online sharing session to add an
electronic signature
to the primary document. For example, the signature module 211 receives a
request from a client
device 109 of a non-representative of the enterprise 101 responsive to the non-
representative
selecting the "click to sign- user interface element 505 included in the
online sharing session
500.
[0055] Responsive to the request to add the electronic signature to
the primary document,
the signature module 211 transmits an electronic signature tool to the device
of the participant
that submitted the request. FIG. 5B is one example of the electronic signature
tool 507. The
electronic signature tool 507 includes a signature location 509 where the
participant adds his or
her electronic signature. In one embodiment, the signature module 211 receives
an electronic
signature drawn by the participant in the signature location 509.
Alternatively, the signature
module 211 transmits different electronic signatures to the participant to
select from. The
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selected signature is added to the document. For example, FIG. 5C illustrates
the electronic
signature 511 added to the primary document 400.
[0056] In one embodiment, the suggestion module 215 generates
suggestions for a
participant (e.g., the non-representative) during the online sharing session.
In one embodiment,
the primary document shared during an online sharing session is associated
with an article. The
suggestion provided during the online sharing session describes another
article of the enterprise
101, for example.
[0057] In one embodiment, the suggestion module 215 is a machine-
learned neural
network model. Any machine learning algorithm may be used by the machine-
learned neural
network models such as linear regression, logistic regression, SVM, etc. The
suggestion module
215 is trained to automatically generate suggestions for an online sharing
session based on
attributes of the online sharing session. The attributes may be participant
attributes of a
participant of the online sharing session (e.g., the non-representative) and
attributes of the shared
document(s). The document attributes include the values of the fields of
information included in
the document.
[0058] In one embodiment, the tracking module 217 tracks a status
associated with the
article described in the primary document. The status may be a location
status, for example. The
tracking module 217 may transmit notifications to the device of the
participant (e.g., the non-
representative) that describe the location status of the article. In one
embodiment, a tracking
device is positioned on a delivery mechanism of the article that periodically
transmits
geographical location information to the tracking module 217. The tracking
module 217
generates the notifications based on the received geographical location
information. The
notifications may be transmitted to the device of participant automatically or
upon request from
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the device of the participant.
Secondary Document Sets
[00591 As mentioned above, a primary document may be associated
with a set of
secondary documents (e.g., forms) for e-signing. In one embodiment the
document module 213
determines the set of secondary documents for e-signing where the secondary
documents are
associated with a particular primary document. The document module 213
determines the set of
secondary documents for e-signing based on the one or more policies (e.g.,
inclusion and
exclusion policies) associated with the document template used to create the
primary document.
The set of secondary documents includes both the secondary documents eligible
for e-signing as
well as secondary documents that are ineligible for e-signing. In one
embodiment, the document
module 213 determines the set of secondary documents responsive to the primary
document
being e-signed. In other embodiments, the document module 213 determines the
set of
secondary documents after creation of the primary document.
[0060] In one embodiment, the reception module 205 determines
values for any fields of
data included in one or more secondary documents. The reception module 205
receives values
for one or more fields of data from a device of a user such as from the
enterprise device 107 of a
representative of the enterprise 101. In one embodiment, the reception module
205
automatically inserts values into the fields of data for one or more secondary
documents in the
set. One or more fields of data in each secondary document may indicate a
location in another
document stored in the document management system 103 from which to retrieve
the values for
the secondary document. The reception module 205 automatically retrieves the
values from
another document(s) as indicated in the one or more fields of the secondary
document. The
retrieved values are automatically added to the appropriate fields in the
secondary document by
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the reception module 205.
[0061] In one embodiment, the document module 213 provides a user
interface including
the set of secondary documents to an enterprise device 107 of a representative
of the enterprise
101. The representative verifies the accuracy of the secondary documents in
set before the set of
secondary documents are shared for e-signing during an online sharing session.
For example,
FIG. 6A illustrates a user interface 600 including a list of the set of
secondary documents 601
associated with primary document 300.
[0062] As shown in FIG. 6A, the list of the set of secondary
documents are arranged in a
series of rows where each row is associated with one of the secondary
documents in the set.
Each secondary document is selectable such that selection of the secondary
document causes the
document module 213 to transmit a preview of the selected secondary document
to the
representative device 107. By displaying the preview of the secondary
document, the
representative verifies the accuracy of information included in the secondary
document. As
shown in FIG. 6A, a preview of secondary "Document 1" is shown in the preview
area 603 of
the user interface 600.
[0063] In one embodiment, the set of secondary documents also
includes an exclusion
identifier 605 of any secondary documents that require a wet signature (e.g.,
handwritten
signature). The exclusion identifier 605 visually indicates that the secondary
document should
not be shared during an online sharing session for e-signing. The document
module 213 includes
an exclusion identifier for a secondary document in the list based on the
stored exclusion policies
indicating the secondary document should be excluded from online sharing. If
the representative
attempts to share a secondary document that requires a wet signature, the
document module 213
generates a notification 607 as shown in FIG. 6B that notifies the
representative that the
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secondary document(s) requires a wet signature and should not be shared for e-
signing. The
representative may either print the secondary document for wet signature or
ignore the
notification such that only documents eligible for e-signing during an online
sharing session are
transmitted.
[0064] The conversion module 207 may receive a request from the
enterprise device 107 to
share the set of secondary document with one or more other users. The request
may be received
from the conversion module 207 responsive to the representative selecting the
"share" user
interface element 609 as shown in FIGs. 6A and 6B, for example. The sharing
request may
include identifiers of users invited to the online sharing session and the
date and time of the
online sharing session.
[0065] The conversion module 207 generates sharing versions of the
secondary documents
from the set based on the previews of the secondary documents. The sharing
versions of the
secondary documents may be stored in the document database 201 for use during
the online
sharing session. In one embodiment, the conversion module 207 may generate the
sharing
versions of the secondary document for sharing responsive to the sharing
request or may wait to
generate the sharing versions of the secondary documents for sharing until the
online sharing
session. As mentioned previously, the conversion module 207 may convert the
preview of the
secondary document that is in the preview format (e.g., HTML) into the sharing
format.
[0066] In one embodiment, the sharing module 209 shares the set of
secondary documents
that is in the sharing format with one or more participants during a scheduled
online session.
The sharing module 209 may transmit an invitation for the online sharing
session to devices of
the participants identified in the request attributes. Only participants who
have the link will be
authorized access to the online sharing session.
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[0067] In one embodiment, if multiple parties are required to sign
different subsets of
secondary documents from the set, the sharing module 209 may provide the
different subsets of
secondary documents to the appropriate participant during the online sharing
session. Thus, each
participant may receive a different set of secondary documents during the
online sharing session.
For example, the set of secondary documents for a first participant may
include a first plurality
of secondary documents from the set and the set of secondary documents for a
second participant
may include a second plurality of secondary document from the set. The first
plurality of
secondary documents and the second plurality of secondary documents may have
at least one
common secondary document that requires a signature from both participants as
well as at least
one secondary document that requires a signature from only one of the
participants. Thus, each
participant of the online sharing session receives only secondary documents
that require e-
signing for that particular participant invited to the online sharing session.
The participants
required to sign the secondary documents may be non-representatives or a
combination of
representatives and non-representatives of the enterprise 101.
[0068] During the online sharing session, the actual secondary
documents are shared
during the online session rather than merely an image of the content displayed
on a display
screen of one of the participant's device. FIG. 7A illustrates one example of
an online sharing
session 700. As shown in FIG. 7A, the online sharing session 700 includes a
list of the
secondary documents 700 for e-signing during the online sharing session. The
list includes the
names of the secondary documents requiring e-signing as well as various
attributes for each
secondary document such as the date the secondary document was shared, the
date of signature if
signed, and an indication whether the document was signed.
[0069] During the online sharing session, the representative of the
enterprise 101 may
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review the set of secondary documents with the participant(s) required to e-
sign the secondary
documents in one embodiment. If the existing content (e.g., values of the
fields of information)
of one of the secondary documents requires editing (e.g., addition, deletion,
or modification), the
participant may request for the representative to edit the secondary document
during the online
sharing session. Accordingly, the reception module 205 may receive edits to
the version of the
secondary document stored in the editing format. The conversion module 207 may
convert the
edited secondary document into the sharing format and the sharing module 209
may re-share the
edited secondary document during the online sharing session according to the
process previously
described above. In other embodiments, the representative of the enterprise
101 may not
collaboratively review the secondary documents with the participant(s) that is
required to e-sign
the secondary documents.
[0070] The sharing module 209 may receive a request from a client
device 109 of a
participant of the online sharing session to begin signing one or all of the
secondary documents
in the set. For example, sharing module 209 receives a request from a client
device 109 of a
non-representative of the enterprise 101 responsive to the non-representative
selecting which of
the secondary documents to sign followed by selecting the "start signing" user
interface element
701 included in the online sharing session 700 as shown in FIG. 7A.
[0071] Responsive to the request to sign the secondary documents
in the set, the sharing
module 209 updates the online sharing session with one of the secondary
documents from the set
for e-signing. The secondary document may be the selected secondary document
if only a single
secondary document is selected for signing or may be the first secondary
document from the
selected secondary documents if multiple secondary documents are selected.
FIG. 7B illustrates
a document view 703 of the online sharing session that includes the secondary
document 705 for
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e-signing.
[0072] The signature module 211 transmits the electronic signature
tool 507 to the device
that requested to e-sign the secondary document as shown in FIG. 7C responsive
to receiving a
selection of the "click to sign" user interface element 711. The electronic
signature tool 507
includes a signature location 509 where the participant adds his or her
electronic signature as
previously described. In one embodiment, the signature module 209 receives an
electronic
signature drawn by the participant in the signature location 509.
Alternatively, the signature
module 209 transmits different electronic signatures to the participant to
select from. The
electronic signature 717 is added to the secondary document as shown in FIG.
7D.
[0073] In one embodiment, a secondary document for e-signing may
include two different
signature portions that are interdependent. If one signature portion of the
secondary document is
signed, the document management system 103 disables the interdependent
signature portion of
the secondary document as both signature portions should not be signed.
[0074] Responsive to a secondary document being e-signed, the
sharing module 211 stores
the signed secondary document in the document database 201. Furthermore, the
online sharing
session is updated with the next secondary document for execution if multiple
secondary
documents are selected for e-signing or the online sharing session is updated
to redisplay the list
of secondary documents 700 as shown in FIG. 7E. In FIG. 7E, the list of
secondary documents
is updated to include the date Document 1 was signed. The participant of the
online sharing
session repeats the signing process until all of the secondary documents in
the list are e-signed.
[0075] In one embodiment, a third-party secondary document
included in the shared set of
secondary documents must be signed at the third-party document source 111. An
example of a
third-party secondary document that must be signed at the third-party document
source 111 is a
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LAW 533 document. Thus, the third-party secondary document cannot be executed
in the online
sharing session. In one embodiment, the document module 213 retrieves the
third-party
secondary document from the third-party document source 111 and the third-
party secondary
document is displayed during the online sharing session. However, the actual
signing of the
third-party secondary document does not occur in the online sharing session.
[0076] In one embodiment, the signature module 211 receives the
electronic signature from
the client device 109 of the participant, as previously described above.
However, the signature
module 211 does not apply the electronic signature to the third-party
secondary document in the
online sharing session. Rather, the signature module 211 transmits the
electronic signature to the
third party document source 111. Values required to complete the third-party
secondary
document may also be transmitted to the third party document source 111. The
third party
document source 111 applies the electronic signature to the third-party
secondary document.
The third party document source 111 may also apply any values to complete the
third-party
secondary document. The third party document source 111 transmits the e-signed
third-party
secondary document to the document management system 103 for storage. Although
it appears
to the participant of the online sharing session that the third-party
secondary document is signed
in the online sharing session, the e-signing process occurs outside of the
online sharing session at
the third-party document source 111. Thus, the participant is not burdened
from having a
separate online sharing session with the third party document source 111 to e-
sign the third-party
secondary document.
Process for E-Signing a Document Set
[0077] FIG. 8 is an interaction diagram illustrating a process for
e-signing a secondary
document set during an online sharing session according to one embodiment. In
the example
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shown in FIG. 8, a secondary document set is shared between a representative
of the enterprise
using enterprise device 107 and a non-representative of the enterprise using
client device 109.
However, in other embodiments a secondary document set may be shared with any
type of
participant and any number of participants. Furthermore, the process for e-
signing a secondary
document set may include other steps than shown in FIG. 8.
[0078] The enterprise device 107 transmits 801 a request to the
document management
system 103 to generate a secondary document set. The secondary document set
includes a
plurality of secondary documents. In one embodiment, the secondary document
set is associated
with a primary document e-signed by a user of client device 109. The document
management
system 103 generates 803 the secondary document set based on the request.
Values for fields of
information in the secondary documents in the set may be received from the
enterprise device
107 or automatically populated by the document management system 103.
[0079] The document management system 103 transmits 805 the
secondary document set to
the enterprise device 107 for review. Upon approval of the secondary document
set, the
enterprise device 107 transmits 807 a document sharing request to the document
management
system 103. The document sharing request indicates one or more participants
invited to view the
shared secondary document during an online sharing session for e-signing.
[0080] The document management system 103 creates 809 an online
sharing session that
includes the secondary document set for e-signing. In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 8A, only
the client device 109 participants in the online sharing session of the
secondary document set.
During the online sharing session, the enterprise device 107 displays 811 a
list of the secondary
document set 811. The list indicates the secondary documents that require e-
signing during the
online sharing session. The client device 109 iteratively selects each
secondary document from
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the list for review and adds 813 the participant's electronic signature to
each secondary
document upon approval of each secondary document.
[0081] As mentioned above, for third-party secondary documents that
require execution at
the third-party document source 111, the document management system 103
transmits the
electronic signature and the values for the third-party secondary document to
the third party-
document source 111. The third-party document source 111 signs the third-party
secondary
document and transmits the signed third-party document to the document
management system
103
[0082] After all the documents in the list are e-signed by the
participant, the online sharing
session is ended. The document management system 103 updates the document set
status to
indicate all the secondary documents were e-signed. The document management
system 103
transmits 817 an updated status to the enterprise device 107 notifying the
representative that all
of the secondary documents in the secondary document set are signed.
[0083] FIG. 9 is an interaction diagram illustrating a process for
e-signing a secondary
document set during an online sharing session according to another embodiment.
In the example
shown in FIG. 9, a secondary document set is shared between a representative
of the enterprise
using enterprise device 107 and a non-representative of the enterprise using
client device 109 and
both the representative and non-representative participate during an online
sharing session. The
process for e-signing sharing a document may include other steps than shown in
FIG. 8B.
[0084] The enterprise device 107 transmits 901 a request to the
document management
system 103 to generate a secondary document set. The secondary document set
includes a
plurality of secondary documents. In one embodiment, the secondary document
set is associated
with a primary document e-signed by a user of client device 109. The document
management
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system 103 generates 903 the secondary document set based on the request.
Values for fields of
information in the secondary documents in the set may be received from the
enterprise device
107 or automatically populated by the document management system 103.
[0085] The document management system 103 transmits 905 the
secondary document set to
the enterprise device 107 for review. Upon approval of the secondary document
set, the
enterprise device 107 transmits 907 a document sharing request to the document
management
system 103. The document sharing request indicates one or more participants
invited to view the
secondary document set during an online sharing session for e-signing.
[0086] The document management system 103 creates 911 an online
sharing session that
includes the secondary document set for e-signing. In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 9, both the
representative of the enterprise 101 and the non-representative participate in
the online sharing
session of the secondary document set. During the online sharing session, the
representative and
the non-representative collaboratively review the secondary document set prior
to the non-
representative e-signing the documents in the document set.
[0087] During the online sharing session, the enterprise device 107
displays 913 the list of
shared document set and the client device 109 displays 915 the list of the
shared document set.
By displaying the list to both the representative and non-representative, the
documents can be
collaboratively reviewed during the online sharing session. That is, the
enterprise device 107
displays 919 each secondary document for signature from the list and the
client device 109 also
displays each secondary document for signature from the list. The
representative may explain
each secondary document to the non-representative during the online sharing
session. The client
device 109 adds 921 the electronic signature of the non-representative to each
secondary
document during the online sharing session upon approval of each secondary
document. In one
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embodiment, the representative may be required to sign one or more secondary
documents.
Accordingly, the enterprise device 107 adds 923 an electronic signature of the
representative to
the one more secondary documents.
[0088] As mentioned above, for third-party secondary documents that
require execution at
the third-party document source 111, the document management system 103
transmits the
electronic signature and the values for the third-party secondary document to
the third party-
document source 111. The third-party document source 111 signs the third-party
secondary
document and transmits the signed third-party secondary document to the
document management
system 103.
[0089] After all the secondary documents in the list are e-signed
by the participant, the
online sharing session is ended. The document management system 103 updates
925 the
secondary document set status to indicate all the secondary documents were e-
signed. The
document management system 103 transmits 925 an updated status to the
enterprise device 107
notifying the representative that all of the secondary documents in the
document set are signed.
[0090] Alternate Document Management System Environment
[0091] FIG. 10 is a high-level block diagram illustrating an
alternate embodiment of an
environment 900 of a document management system for e-signing documents of an
enterprise
1001. The environment 1000 is similar to the environment 100 shown in FIG. 1.
The
environment 1000 includes an enterprise 1001, a document management system
1003, enterprise
devices 107, client devices 109, and third-party document source 111. The
entities in
environment 1000 perform similar functions as their counterparts in
environment 100 shown in
FIG. 1 thus the description is omitted for readability.
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[0092] However, in environment 1000 the document management system
1003 is separated
from enterprise 1001. In the example of FIG. 10, a separate entity may be
responsible for
operating the document management system 1003 that manages documents on behalf
of the
enterprise 1001. Alternatively, the same entity may be responsible for both
the enterprise 1001
and the document management system 1003, but the document management system
1003 is
separated from the enterprise 1001.
Hardware Components
[0093] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a computer system 1100
upon which embodiments
described herein may be implemented within the document management system
103/1003,
enterprise devices 107, client devices 109, and third-party document source
111. For example,
the document management system 103/1003, enterprise devices 107, client
devices 109, and
third-party document source 111 may each be implemented using a computer
system such as
described by FIG. 11. The document management system 103/1003 may also be
implemented
using a combination of multiple computer systems as described by FIG. 11.
[0094] In one implementation, the document management system
103/1003, enterprise
devices 107, client devices 109, and third-party document source each include
processing
resources 1101, main memory 1 103 , read only memory (ROM) 1105, storage
device 1107, and a
communication interface 1109. The document management system 103/1003,
enterprise devices
107, client devices 109, and third-party document source 111 each include at
least one processor
1101 for processing information and a main memory 1103, such as a random
access memory
(RANI) or other dynamic storage device, for storing information and
instructions to be executed
by the processor 1001. In one embodiment, multiple processors are employed by
the document
management system 103/1003 to perform the techniques described above in order
to improve
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efficiency of the document management system 103/1003 and reduce computation
time when
sharing documents for e-signing. Main memory 1103 also may be used for storing
temporary
variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions
to be executed by
processor 1101. The document management system 103/1003, enterprise devices
107, client
devices 109, and third-party document source 111 may each also include ROM
1105 or other
static storage device for storing static information and instructions for
processor 1101. The
storage device 1107, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk or solid state
memory device, is
provided for storing information and instructions.
[0095] The communication interface 1109 can enable each of
document management
system 103/1003, enterprise devices 107, client devices 109, and third-party
document source
111 to communicate with each other through use of a communication link
(wireless or wireline).
Each of document management system 103/1003, enterprise devices 107, client
devices 109, and
third-party document source 111 can optionally include a display device 1111,
such as a cathode
ray tube (CRT), an LCD monitor, an LED monitor, OLED monitor, a TFT display or
a television
set, for example, for displaying graphics and information to a user. An input
mechanism 1113,
such as a keyboard that includes alphanumeric keys and other keys, can
optionally be coupled to
the computer system 1100 for communicating information and command selections
to processor
1101. Other non-limiting, illustrative examples of input mechanisms 1113
include a mouse, a
trackball, touch-sensitive screen, or cursor direction keys for communicating
direction
information and command selections to processor 1001 and for controlling
cursor movement on
display device 1111.
[0096] Examples described herein are related to the use of the
document management
system 103/1003, enterprise devices 107, client devices 109, and third-party
document source
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111 for implementing the techniques described herein. According to one
embodiment, those
techniques are performed by each of the document management system 103/1003,
enterprise
devices 107, client devices 109, and third-party document source 111 in
response to processor
1101 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in
main memory
1103. Such instructions may be read into main memory 1103 from another machine-
readable
medium, such as storage device 1107. Execution of the sequences of
instructions contained in
main memory 1103 causes processor 1101 to perform the process steps described
herein. In
alternative implementations, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or
in combination with
software instructions to implement examples described herein. Thus, the
examples described are
not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.
Furthermore, it has
also proven convenient at times, to refer to arrangements of operations as
modules, without loss
of generality. The described operations and their associated modules may be
embodied in
software, firmware, hardware, or any combinations thereof.
[0097] Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or to "an
embodiment" means
that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is included in at
least one embodiment of the
disclosure. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "a preferred
embodiment" in
various places in the specification are not necessarily referring to the same
embodiment.
[0098] Some portions of the above are presented in terms of methods
and symbolic
representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These
descriptions and
representations are the means used by those skilled in the art to most
effectively convey the
substance of their work to others skilled in the art. A method is here, and
generally, conceived to
be a self-consistent sequence of steps (instructions) leading to a desired
result. The steps are
those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though
not necessarily,
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these quantities take the form of electrical, magnetic or optical signals
capable of being stored,
transferred, combined, compared and otherwise manipulated. It is convenient at
times,
principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits,
values, elements,
symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. Furthermore, it is also
convenient at times, to
refer to certain arrangements of steps requiring physical manipulations of
physical quantities as
modules or code devices, without loss of generality.
[0099] It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and
similar terms are to be
associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient
labels applied to
these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the
following discussion,
it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms
such as "processing"
or "computing" or "calculating" or "displaying" or "determining" or the like,
refer to the action
and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device,
that manipulates
and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the
computer system
memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or
display devices.
[001001 Certain aspects disclosed herein include process steps and
instructions described
herein in the form of a method. It should be noted that the process steps and
instructions
described herein can be embodied in software, firmware or hardware, and when
embodied in
software, can be downloaded to reside on and be operated from different
platforms used by a
variety of operating systems.
[001011 The embodiments discussed above also relates to an apparatus
for performing the
operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the
required purposes, or it
may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured
by a computer
program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a non-
transitory
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computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of
disk including
floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks, read-only
memories (ROMs),
random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards,
application
specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any type of media suitable for
storing electronic
instructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus. Furthermore, the
computers referred to
in the specification may include a single processor or may be architectures
employing multiple
processor designs for increased computing capability.
[00102] The methods and displays presented herein are not
inherently related to any
particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may
also be used with
programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient
to construct more
specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required
structure for a variety
of these systems will appear from the description below. In addition, the
embodiments are not
described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be
appreciated that a
variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings
described herein, and
any references below to specific languages are provided for disclosure of
enablement and best
mode.
[00103] While the disclosure has been particularly shown and
described with reference to a
preferred embodiment and several alternate embodiments, it will be understood
by persons
skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and details can be
made therein without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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